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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — a path
  6. pop — to visit
  7. capital — money
  8. toast — bread
  9. pop — music
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a ring
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pop — soda
  24. bear — the animal

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