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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bound — obliged
  6. season — in sport
  7. capital — money
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bound — certain
  10. rule — government
  11. bore — to tire
  12. season — of the year
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rule — a law

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