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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a ring
  4. capital — money
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. capital — a city
  8. cap — a lid
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. firm — a company
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. band — a music group
  13. cell — in biology
  14. firm — decided
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. firm — steady

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