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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. capital — a city
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. scale — in music
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wound — an injury

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