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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. capital — a city
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. charge — a price
  12. game — wild animals
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. charge — in control
  15. pound — a weight
  16. toast — bread
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. game — a match
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. charge — electricity

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