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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 116 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bound — obliged
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a city
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. capital — money
  12. bound — certain
  13. mark — a grade
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — a trace

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