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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.

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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. capital — a city
  3. pop — music
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. lean — thin
  6. sharp — clever
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pop — soda
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. capital — money
  15. rush — hurry
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bound — certain
  20. lean — to bend
  21. foot — a measure
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bound — tied together

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