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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  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. capital — a city
  3. suit — in cards
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — clothes
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. firm — steady
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. firm — a company
  19. chip — for betting
  20. firm — decided
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. suit — to fit
  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