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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bound — tied together
  10. capital — a city
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bound — certain
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. capital — money
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mug — a face
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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