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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. scale — size or range
  3. present — there
  4. mark — a trace
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. present — a gift
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — money
  14. scale — in music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stand — to bear
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — the time now

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