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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bat — the animal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. object — an aim
  10. race — humankind
  11. object — a thing
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mate — a partner
  16. race — a contest
  17. object — to protest
  18. capital — a city
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pass — to spend time

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