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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. capital — a city
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bound — certain
  5. fork — in a road
  6. spell — letters
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spell — magic
  11. bound — tied together
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. present — the time now
  15. rash — a series
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rash — hasty
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. capital — money
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. present — there

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