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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — happy
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — farmland
  16. capital — money
  17. field — for sport
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. capital — a city
  22. field — a subject
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. content — videos and posts

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