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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. lean — thin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. present — there
  5. mug — a face
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a music group
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mug — to rob
  15. band — a ring
  16. capital — money
  17. present — the time now
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. capital — a city
  22. present — a gift
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to rest against

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