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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 120 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 · pound · suit · sharp · bay · cell · capital · spell

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. suit — to fit
  4. field — for sport
  5. suit — in cards
  6. capital — a city
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. spell — letters
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pound — a weight
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — a subject
  23. suit — clothes
  24. spell — magic

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