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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. object — to protest
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. object — an aim
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — money
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bound — certain
  17. root — of a word
  18. plane — a tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. root — the cause
  22. object — a thing
  23. mate — a friend
  24. plane — in geometry

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