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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. season — in sport
  4. capital — money
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fine — high quality
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. drill — army training
  10. season — of the year
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. capital — a city
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bound — certain
  18. fine — all right
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rush — hurry
  24. track — a song

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