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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — a city
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — money
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. dip — to sink
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — to eat
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mate — to breed

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