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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. present — the time now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rock — a stone
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. swing — in golf
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. present — there
  18. capital — money
  19. swing — music
  20. rock — music
  21. capital — a city
  22. cap — a hat
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — the animal

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