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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. kid — child
  4. content — the amount
  5. can — a tin
  6. rush — hurry
  7. can — to be able to
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. content — happy
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. capital — a city

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