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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lie — to recline
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. last — final
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. present — there
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — a match
  21. last — finally
  22. capital — money
  23. present — the time now
  24. hand — help

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