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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. capital — money
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — all right
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cold — not warm
  8. capital — a city
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rule — government
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. march — music

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