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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. capital — a city
  3. mark — a trace
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bear — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. mark — a grade
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — crushed
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ground — a position
  24. pit — a hole

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