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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bass — low music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mate — to breed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. capital — a city
  8. key — for a lock
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — a position
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. key — the most important part
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bass — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. key — in music
  23. ground — crushed
  24. capital — money

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