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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. degree — from a university
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. capital — money
  6. game — a match
  7. mug — to rob
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. capital — a city
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bound — certain
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mug — a face
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. game — wild animals
  24. degree — an amount

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