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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mark — a grade
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mark — a trace
  13. capital — money
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rest — a break
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rock — music
  20. cell — in biology
  21. capital — a city
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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