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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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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. can — a tin
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rest — a break
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bear — the animal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — what's left
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. can — a tin
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. capital — money
  24. degree — an amount

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