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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. degree — temperature
  4. land — to come down
  5. squash — the sport
  6. club — for golf
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. land — ground
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. land — a country
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. club — for dancing
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — a group
  22. degree — from a university
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. suit — in cards

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