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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. capital — a city
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — money
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mine — for digging
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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