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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mug — a face
  4. season — in sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. capital — money
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bound — certain
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. season — of the year

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