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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. swing — music
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. land — a country
  10. bound — obliged
  11. land — ground
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bound — certain
  14. capital — a city
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — money
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pound — a weight
  23. land — to come down
  24. bound — tied together

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