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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. toast — bread
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — the animal
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mate — a friend
  20. capital — money
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mate — to breed
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. sharp — clever

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