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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. hand — help
  2. rash — a series
  3. capital — a city
  4. fine — all right
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bound — certain
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mate — to breed
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. capital — money
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mate — a partner
  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