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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. suit — to fit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — money
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. capital — a city
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. snap — to click
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bore — to drill
  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