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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. tube — the underground
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. last — to go on
  7. roll — a list
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bound — certain
  11. tube — a container
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. present — the time now
  17. bound — obliged
  18. last — final
  19. roll — a cake
  20. last — finally
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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