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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 116 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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. band — a music group
  4. pop — soda
  5. game — a match
  6. capital — a city
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pop — music
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tube — the underground
  19. band — a ring
  20. tube — a container
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. leaves — of a tree

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