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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fine — all right
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. squash — to crush
  12. present — a gift
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. present — there
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. present — the time now
  24. rush — hurry

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