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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bound — obliged
  4. capital — money
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. squash — the sport
  7. capital — a city
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rash — a series
  14. lean — thin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bound — certain
  20. lean — to bend
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. tear — to rip
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cue — a hint

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