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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bore — to tire
  8. tear — from crying
  9. capital — money
  10. last — finally
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. last — to go on
  18. ball — a dance
  19. last — final
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rest — a break
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bore — to drill

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