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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. drill — the tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cap — a hat
  23. drill — army training
  24. cap — a lid

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