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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. firm — steady
  3. tube — the underground
  4. capital — money
  5. drill — the tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pass — a permit
  9. drill — a practice
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. firm — a company
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. sharp — clever
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. capital — a city
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. drill — army training
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. game — a match
  21. tube — a container
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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