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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. ground — crushed
  5. spell — a short time
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ground — the earth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — a city
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. ground — a position

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