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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. present — a gift
  3. capital — a city
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. present — there
  7. drill — a practice
  8. scale — size or range
  9. season — in sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. roll — a list
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — of the year
  17. roll — a cake
  18. drill — the tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cell — in biology
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. present — the time now
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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