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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bound — tied together
  7. capital — money
  8. bound — obliged
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. capital — a city
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mate — a partner
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. board — a committee
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bound — certain
  20. board — to get on
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mate — to breed

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