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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bear — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. capital — a city
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. bound — tied together
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bound — certain

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