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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bound — tied together
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — certain
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — a song
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fine — all right
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — money
  16. last — to go on
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mate — to breed
  20. track — a path
  21. last — finally
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. track — to keep track

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