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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. scale — in music
  3. present — there
  4. suit — to fit
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. snap — to click
  7. suit — clothes
  8. capital — money
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. suit — in cards
  14. present — a gift
  15. scale — size or range
  16. last — final
  17. deal — to handle
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. last — to go on
  23. present — the time now
  24. last — finally

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