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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mate — a partner
  4. degree — from a university
  5. capital — money
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. capital — a city
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fall — the season
  24. mine — for digging

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