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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. capital — money
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. staff — employees
  7. mark — a trace
  8. spring — of water
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spring — a coil
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — the season
  15. capital — a city
  16. bass — the fish
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bowl — a football final

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