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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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Word bank
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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mate — to breed
  4. capital — money
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spell — magic
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mate — a partner
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rest — a break
  15. spell — a short time
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cue — a signal
  18. swing — music
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rest — what's left
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cue — for pool
  23. capital — a city
  24. spell — letters

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