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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mate — to breed
  5. last — to go on
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — a city
  9. last — finally
  10. bound — tied together
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mate — a friend
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. capital — money
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — final
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. patient — a sick person

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