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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. file — a tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. capital — money
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bound — tied together
  10. capital — a city
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. can — a tin
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. can — to be able to
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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