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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. capital — a city
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pitch — completely
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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