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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. band — a ring
  6. capital — a city
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. object — an aim
  11. capital — money
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. dip — to sink
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. object — a thing
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. band — a music group
  24. object — to protest

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