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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mate — a friend
  4. row — a line
  5. capital — money
  6. kick — in football
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bank — for money
  12. row — to paddle
  13. capital — a city
  14. bank — for money
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chair — a leader
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bank — of a river
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. capital — a big letter

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