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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rush — hurry
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bound — obliged
  7. lie — to recline
  8. degree — an amount
  9. capital — money
  10. charge — in control
  11. kid — child
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bound — certain
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. firm — decided
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a city
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. charge — a price
  22. kid — to tease
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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