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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. game — a match
  5. capital — money
  6. bound — tied together
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. last — final
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bound — certain
  11. stem — to come from
  12. last — to go on
  13. bore — to tire
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a city
  16. last — finally
  17. game — wild animals
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. deal — to handle
  24. game — a kind of play

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