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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. capital — a city
  3. spell — magic
  4. bound — obliged
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. capital — money
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — a stone
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rock — music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spring — of water
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bound — certain
  17. spell — letters
  18. spring — the season
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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