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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. capital — a city
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bore — to tire
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wind — moving air
  12. track — a song
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — money
  17. track — a path
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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