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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fine — all right
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. spell — magic
  13. net — after costs
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. spell — letters
  17. net — for catching
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — in sport
  21. capital — a city
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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