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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. tube — a container
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bat — the animal
  9. capital — money
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. content — the amount
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. band — a music group
  18. content — happy
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mug — a face
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pass — a permit

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