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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stand — to bear
  3. game — wild animals
  4. capital — a city
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — a line
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rule — a law
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rule — government
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. game — a match
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bear — the animal
  24. game — a kind of play

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