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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. present — there
  3. mark — a trace
  4. swing — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. stand — to bear
  7. swing — to play on
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. present — the time now
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stand — on your feet

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