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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cell — a phone
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. band — a ring
  6. mug — a cup
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. present — the time now
  12. bear — the animal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. capital — a city
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — money
  17. last — to go on
  18. key — in music
  19. present — a gift
  20. cell — in biology
  21. band — a music group
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. key — for a lock

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