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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. kid — to tease
  5. object — a thing
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rash — hasty
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. capital — a city
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rash — a series
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wake — a trail
  21. object — an aim
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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