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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — in football
  11. object — a thing
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cold — an illness
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. lie — to recline
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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