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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. capital — a city
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mate — a partner
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. capital — money
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. press — a publisher
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ball — a dance
  19. content — happy
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. content — the amount
  22. land — ground
  23. press — to push
  24. ball — a round shape

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