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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. capital — money
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. fine — high quality
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. capital — a city
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rush — hurry
  18. object — a thing
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. shower — rain

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