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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · mate · tear · pass · game · mine · lie · rush

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. game — a match
  5. rush — hurry
  6. capital — a city
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — a permit
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — money
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lie — to recline

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