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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. firm — decided
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. firm — steady
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mate — a partner
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rush — hurry
  13. root — of a word
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. vault — a safe
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. root — the cause
  21. firm — a company
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mate — to breed
  24. capital — money

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