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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — music
  11. tube — a container
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ball — a great time
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ball — a dance
  24. tube — the underground

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