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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. firm — a company
  4. pitch — completely
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. capital — a city
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — money
  10. firm — decided
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — certain
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. firm — steady
  18. game — a match
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bound — obliged
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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