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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. game — wild animals
  4. file — a document
  5. date — the fruit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pass — a permit
  8. capital — a city
  9. suit — to fit
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. suit — clothes
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. capital — money
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. perch — for a bird

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