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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. stock — shares
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. key — the most important part
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. stock — goods
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. season — of the year
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pit — in a race
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pit — a hole
  24. calf — a young animal

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