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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: capital · bowl · wound · squash · scale · pop · spell · game

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. game — a match
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. squash — to crush
  5. scale — size or range
  6. squash — the sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. pop — soda
  9. wound — an injury
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spell — a short time
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pop — music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pop — to visit
  22. capital — money
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. spell — letters

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