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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 116 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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — in music
  3. capital — a city
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. season — in sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. content — the amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bore — to drill
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. content — happy
  17. swing — in golf
  18. season — of the year
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. band — a music group
  24. lie — to recline

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