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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mug — a face
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. capital — a city
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. band — a ring
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mug — to rob
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. toast — bread
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rush — hurry
  22. capital — money
  23. band — a music group
  24. racket — for tennis

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