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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. club — a group
  5. capital — money
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bore — to tire
  8. capital — a city
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bore — to drill
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cap — of ice
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. club — for dancing
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. club — for golf

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