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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. can — to be able to
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bound — obliged
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. can — a tin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bound — certain
  17. capital — money
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — a city
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rock — music
  24. can — a tin

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