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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. firm — a company
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. field — a subject
  11. capital — money
  12. cell — in biology
  13. firm — decided
  14. field — farmland
  15. sharp — clever
  16. toast — bread
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. capital — a city
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. firm — steady
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. field — for sport
  23. date — the fruit
  24. sharp — exactly

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