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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. content — the amount
  3. last — finally
  4. capital — a city
  5. content — happy
  6. fine — all right
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. lie — to recline
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fine — high quality
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. last — final
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. capital — money
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. last — to go on

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