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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cap — a lid
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. cap — a hat
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — money
  15. band — a music group
  16. craft — a skill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. present — there
  21. cap — of ice
  22. band — a ring
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. band — a rubber band

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