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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. spell — letters
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bound — certain
  7. firm — decided
  8. pit — a hole
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spell — magic
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bound — tied together
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. firm — a company
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — obliged

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