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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. capital — a city
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. face — to confront
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. court — of a king
  7. bound — tied together
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. face — part of the head
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bound — certain
  15. court — for sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. court — of law
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. bound — obliged
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pound — a weight

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