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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ground — a position
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kid — child
  16. ground — crushed
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cell — in biology
  21. capital — a city
  22. kick — in football
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. capital — a big letter

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