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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bound — obliged
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — certain
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bulb — for light
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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