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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — a break
  10. mug — a face
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pop — soda
  15. rest — what's left
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. capital — money
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mug — a cup
  24. racket — for tennis

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