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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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pass — a permit
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. content — happy
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. content — the amount
  15. craft — boats
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pop — soda
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pop — music
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. toast — bread

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