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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bound — certain
  5. capital — a city
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mark — a grade
  9. net — after costs
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mine — for digging
  13. capital — money
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fine — all right
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. net — for catching
  20. fine — high quality
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rush — to hurry

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