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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
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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: capital · craft · spell · ball · last · content · lash · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. last — finally
  4. content — the amount
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spell — letters
  7. content — happy
  8. capital — a city
  9. spell — a short time
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. last — final
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. last — to go on
  17. spell — magic
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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