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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: spell · capital · scale · row · temple · bay · straw · last

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spell — a short time
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. last — finally
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. row — to paddle
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. scale — in music
  17. capital — a city
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. scale — size or range
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spell — letters
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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