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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. present — the time now
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fine — all right
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. capital — a city
  7. vault — a safe
  8. perch — the fish
  9. capital — money
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. present — there
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. content — the amount
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. content — happy
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fine — high quality
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. tube — a container
  24. present — a gift

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