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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: spell · roll · capital · mate · degree · bowl · rest · lean

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rest — a break
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. capital — money
  15. spell — letters
  16. roll — a list
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spell — magic
  21. roll — a cake
  22. capital — a city
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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