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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. foot — a measure
  8. drill — army training
  9. last — finally
  10. mate — a friend
  11. drill — a practice
  12. capital — money
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bat — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. cue — for pool
  18. capital — a city
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cue — a hint
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. last — to go on
  24. foot — the bottom

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