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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. degree — an amount
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. club — for dancing
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. capital — a city
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mate — to breed
  17. capital — money
  18. squash — to crush
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. degree — temperature
  24. squash — the sport

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