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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 124 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bass — low music
  4. capital — money
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. capital — a city
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bore — to tire

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