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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. capital — money
  5. present — a gift
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ground — a position
  8. can — a tin
  9. toast — bread
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. net — for catching
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. present — there
  18. net — in sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. capital — a city
  21. can — a tin
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — after costs
  24. present — the time now

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