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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — money
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. suit — clothes
  10. spring — of water
  11. key — for a lock
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. branch — a division
  14. key — in music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. key — the most important part
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitch — completely
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bat — for baseball

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