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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. capital — money
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. kid — child
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rock — music
  20. capital — a city
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pop — soda
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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