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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. cell — in biology
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cold — not warm
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. capital — money
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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