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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bound — tied together
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cue — for pool
  7. perch — the fish
  8. face — to confront
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rash — a series
  17. pop — to visit
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. face — to point toward
  23. capital — money
  24. bound — certain

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