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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 116 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. content — the amount
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. hand — in cards
  7. band — a music group
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. hand — help
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. band — a ring
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a line of people
  14. capital — a city
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. capital — money
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pass — a permit
  23. content — happy
  24. bear — the animal

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