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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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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 · saw · club · cell · date · capital · present · jam

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — the time now
  4. spell — magic
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. club — a group
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. club — for dancing
  9. date — the fruit
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — a gift
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spell — letters
  17. club — for golf
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. capital — a city
  20. present — there
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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