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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · sharp · bowl · spell · band · capital · ground · deal

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spell — letters
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. saw — the tool
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. ground — the earth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ground — crushed
  19. band — a music group
  20. ground — a position
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com