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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — final
  3. can — a tin
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. object — a thing
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bound — obliged
  9. object — to protest
  10. mine — for digging
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. last — finally
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. object — an aim
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. capital — a city

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