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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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Word bank
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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. present — the time now
  3. bear — the animal
  4. spring — of water
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. present — there
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. last — final
  14. present — a gift
  15. capital — money
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spring — the season
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. temple — a place of worship

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