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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. capital — money
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. mark — a grade
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. firm — a company
  9. squash — to crush
  10. capital — a city
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mark — a trace
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spell — a short time
  17. squash — the sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. dip — to sink
  22. spell — magic
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wound — an injury

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