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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 124 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bound — obliged
  3. track — to keep track
  4. capital — a city
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — employees
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fine — high quality
  10. staff — employees
  11. track — a path
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fine — all right
  15. capital — money
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. staff — a stick
  21. track — a song
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mate — a friend
  24. branch — of a bank

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