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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mug — to rob
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. file — a document
  7. mug — a face
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — music
  11. march — music
  12. mug — a cup
  13. file — a tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. march — the month
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bear — the animal
  20. can — a tin
  21. race — humankind
  22. pop — soda
  23. capital — money
  24. can — a tin

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