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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. spring — the season
  9. rock — music
  10. capital — money
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — of water
  18. rock — a stone
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. swing — in golf
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pass — a permit

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