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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — money
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. content — happy
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a city
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. band — a music group
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. band — a ring
  23. content — the amount
  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