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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pop — music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. capital — money
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. capital — a city
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. pop — soda
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. present — a gift
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. kid — child
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — there
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pop — to visit

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