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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. capital — a city
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bound — certain
  8. chair — a leader
  9. capital — money
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rock — a stone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ground — a position

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