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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — money
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mate — a friend
  5. toast — bread
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — a city
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mate — to breed
  18. roll — a list
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tear — to rip
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mate — a partner
  24. tear — from crying

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