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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bound — certain
  11. pop — music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. capital — a city
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. capital — money
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pop — soda
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mate — to breed
  22. court — of a king
  23. mate — a partner
  24. tear — from crying

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