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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. roll — a list
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — a city
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. capital — money
  10. spring — the season
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mate — to breed
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spring — of water

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