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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 124 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — a price
  4. capital — a city
  5. land — to come down
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. charge — in control
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. land — a country
  11. bound — certain
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. land — ground
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bear — the animal
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bound — tied together
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. capital — money
  24. wind — moving air

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