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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. capital — a city
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chest — of your body
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. toast — bread
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chest — a box
  15. band — a music group
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. deal — to handle
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a ring
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. capital — money
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hand — help

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