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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. bound — obliged
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bound — certain
  9. last — to go on
  10. rest — a break
  11. last — final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. capital — money
  17. last — finally
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bore — to drill
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — to tire
  22. net — in sport
  23. bound — tied together
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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