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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. capital — a city
  4. toast — bread
  5. bat — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. root — the cause
  15. stand — to bear
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. band — a music group
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. root — of a word
  24. cabinet — ministers

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