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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. capital — a city
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. club — for golf
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pound — a weight
  8. can — a tin
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bore — to tire
  11. capital — money
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. club — for dancing
  15. suit — to fit
  16. club — a group
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bore — to drill
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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