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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bound — tied together
  4. capital — money
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — certain
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — help
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bound — obliged
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — a city
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. squash — to crush

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