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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bound — certain
  10. cue — a hint
  11. saw — the tool
  12. capital — a city
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cue — for pool
  17. march — the month
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stand — to bear
  22. march — music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bound — tied together

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