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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. capital — money
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — army training
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cold — not warm
  15. capital — a city
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cue — a signal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bound — certain
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cold — an illness

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