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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. prune — to trim
  3. present — there
  4. dip — to sink
  5. content — happy
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. capital — a city
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. firm — decided
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. field — a subject
  15. firm — steady
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. mug — a face
  19. content — the amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. present — the time now
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. firm — a company
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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