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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. perch — the fish
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mate — to breed
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. capital — money
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mate — a friend
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cue — a signal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rush — hurry

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