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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. capital — a city
  4. ground — a position
  5. kick — in football
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. capital — money
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — crushed
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stand — to bear
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. can — to be able to
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ground — the earth

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