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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. present — a gift
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — from a university
  5. capital — money
  6. bound — certain
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. lie — to recline
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. capital — a city
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. present — the time now
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. present — there
  24. mark — a grade

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