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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rock — music
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. capital — money
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. shower — rain
  14. firm — a company
  15. rock — a stone
  16. firm — decided
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fork — in a road
  21. firm — steady
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bound — tied together
  24. capital — a city

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