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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. present — there
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cell — in biology
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. hand — help
  8. present — a gift
  9. capital — money
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mug — a face
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a dance
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ball — a great time
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. present — the time now

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