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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: suit · mug · bat · drill · net · capital · perch · spell

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bat — the animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. spell — letters
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. capital — a city
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mug — to rob
  19. drill — the tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. suit — clothes
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. mug — a face

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