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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. race — a contest
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chip — to eat
  6. present — a gift
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chip — for betting
  12. race — the arms race
  13. present — there
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — the fish
  16. race — humankind
  17. present — the time now
  18. capital — a city
  19. key — the most important part
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. key — in music
  22. band — a ring
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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