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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. court — of a king
  7. snap — to click
  8. stem — to come from
  9. capital — money
  10. mate — a friend
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. mate — to breed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stem — of a plant

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