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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ball — a dance
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bound — certain
  6. capital — a city
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. season — of the year
  9. game — wild animals
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. game — a match
  12. bound — tied together
  13. current — electric
  14. season — in sport
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bound — obliged
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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