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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. drill — a practice
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. spring — of water
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. staff — employees
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kick — in football
  18. capital — a city
  19. staff — employees
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. drill — army training
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — certain
  24. bulb — for light

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