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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. suit — clothes
  3. capital — money
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. capital — a city
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mate — to breed
  10. degree — an amount
  11. suit — in cards
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mine — for digging
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. degree — from a university
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. dip — to sink
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mate — a friend
  24. dip — to dunk

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