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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bound — certain
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. spell — magic
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a city
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spell — letters
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mug — a face
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rock — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mug — to rob

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