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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — money
  4. present — there
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. present — the time now
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — of water
  10. bank — for money
  11. spring — a coil
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bank — for money
  14. pop — soda
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spring — the season
  17. present — a gift
  18. pop — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. capital — a city
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rash — a series
  24. lie — to recline

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