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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. shower — rain
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rash — hasty
  5. capital — a city
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. clip — a video
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rash — a series
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. track — a path
  17. clip — to cut
  18. track — a song
  19. bound — tied together
  20. capital — money
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bound — certain
  24. cabinet — ministers

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