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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mate — to breed
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — a face
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mug — to rob
  7. capital — money
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a partner
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. bat — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. row — a line
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mate — a friend

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