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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: field · chair · spell · game · pop · capital · saw · can

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — letters
  4. capital — a city
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — a match
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chair — a leader
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — a subject
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pop — soda
  16. can — a tin
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. capital — money
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chair — to sit on

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