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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. kick — in football
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. capital — a city
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. season — of the year
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pass — a permit
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. capital — money

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