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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bound — tied together
  5. capital — money
  6. march — the month
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mate — a partner
  10. race — a contest
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — a city
  15. march — music
  16. race — humankind
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. march — the month
  19. content — the amount
  20. bound — obliged
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bound — certain
  24. arm — part of the body

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