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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. court — of law
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stem — to come from
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. capital — a city
  24. toast — bread

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