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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. last — to go on
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. capital — a city
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. last — finally
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. capital — money
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. last — final

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