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

Word bank: content · deal · drill · snap · mate · toast · mouse · capital

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. capital — a city
  5. toast — bread
  6. drill — army training
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. capital — money
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. drill — the tool
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mate — a friend

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