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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. shower — rain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. shower — to wash
  5. net — in sport
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. content — the amount
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — for catching
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. swing — music
  17. capital — money
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — certain
  22. content — happy
  23. capital — a city
  24. tube — a container

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