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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. chip — for betting
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lie — to recline
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hand — help
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hand — in cards
  14. capital — money
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bound — certain
  17. track — a song
  18. chip — to eat
  19. track — a path
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bound — tied together
  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