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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rash — a series
  3. bound — tied together
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — money
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. content — happy
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stock — shares
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pop — soda
  19. stock — goods
  20. content — the amount
  21. pop — music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pop — to visit

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