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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · mark · clip · capital · toast · scale · bear · bass

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mark — a trace
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. present — a gift
  7. clip — a video
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. present — the time now
  12. clip — to cut
  13. capital — a city
  14. clip — for paper
  15. present — there
  16. scale — in music
  17. bass — low music
  18. toast — bread
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. capital — money
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mark — a grade

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