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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. band — a ring
  5. craft — boats
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — the amount
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spring — of water
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rash — a series
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. band — a music group
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. content — happy
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. craft — a skill

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