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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. file — a tool
  6. capital — money
  7. march — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. capital — a city
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pass — a permit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a document
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bear — to put up with

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