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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. last — final
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bound — certain
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. last — finally
  7. bound — obliged
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. capital — money
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mate — a friend
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — to go on
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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