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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 116 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 · bore · fan · cell · bowl · sharp · content · capital

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bore — to tire
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. spell — letters
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — happy
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. content — the amount
  17. capital — a city
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spell — magic
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. capital — money

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