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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. capital — money
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. capital — a city
  10. season — in sport
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. season — of the year
  13. bound — certain
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. row — a line
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. row — to paddle

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