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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. row — a line
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. pop — to visit
  17. present — the time now
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pop — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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