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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. object — to protest
  3. cold — an illness
  4. object — an aim
  5. suit — to fit
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cold — not warm
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. club — for golf
  13. suit — clothes
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. content — happy
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. object — a thing
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. content — the amount
  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