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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rock — a stone
  8. capital — money
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. capital — a city
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rock — music
  23. stand — to bear
  24. spring — of water

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