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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mate — a friend
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rule — a law
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. capital — money
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pit — a hole
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rule — government
  17. tube — a container
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rash — a series
  21. capital — a city
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rash — on the skin

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