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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mate — to breed
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rock — a stone
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rock — music
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. spell — letters
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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