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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rule — a law
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mate — to breed
  8. file — a document
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wake — a trail
  13. capital — a city
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rule — government
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. file — a tool
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mate — a partner

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