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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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. present — a gift
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mate — a friend
  12. present — the time now
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — there
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. hand — help
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. deal — an agreement

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