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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — for digging
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wake — a trail
  16. firm — decided
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. firm — steady
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. firm — a company
  24. mine — an explosive

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