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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mate — a friend
  3. swing — to play on
  4. capital — a city
  5. swing — music
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pass — a permit
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mark — a grade
  14. capital — money
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mate — to breed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mark — a trace
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mate — a partner

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