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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. fine — high quality
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rash — a series
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fine — all right
  13. capital — a city
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rush — hurry
  19. capital — money
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  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