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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. march — the month
  7. last — finally
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. capital — a city
  16. cue — a signal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cue — for pool
  19. capital — money
  20. last — to go on
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. tube — a container

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