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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. row — a line
  9. bound — tied together
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cold — an illness
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. capital — a city
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. suit — to fit
  19. capital — money
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bear — the animal
  23. suit — in cards
  24. dip — to sink

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