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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bat — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bound — certain
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. capital — a city
  12. mate — a partner
  13. content — the amount
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. capital — money
  16. bound — obliged
  17. content — happy
  18. pop — music
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — for baseball

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