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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — a cup
  3. scale — in music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. capital — a city
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. season — of the year
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mug — a face
  15. season — in sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. snap — to click
  18. capital — money
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ball — a great time
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bat — the animal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ball — a dance

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