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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. capital — a city
  3. cue — a hint
  4. last — to go on
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — money
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. last — final
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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