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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fall — the season
  5. content — the amount
  6. club — for golf
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mate — to breed
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. capital — money
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. content — happy
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. club — a group
  24. safe — out of danger

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