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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — help
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. capital — a city
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitch — completely
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rock — music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mine — for digging
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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