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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hand — in cards
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. capital — a city
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — money
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. band — a music group
  18. bear — the animal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. field — for sport
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. field — farmland

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