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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bound — certain
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. capital — money
  6. bound — tied together
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. foot — a measure
  13. track — a path
  14. present — the time now
  15. spring — of water
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. present — there
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. present — a gift
  21. track — a song
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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