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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. capital — money
  3. bat — the animal
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. capital — a city
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. snap — to click
  16. craft — boats
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bound — obliged
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tube — a container
  22. bound — tied together
  23. craft — a skill
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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