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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bound — obliged
  4. capital — a city
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bound — certain
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. capital — money
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cabinet — ministers

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