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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. craft — boats
  3. bound — tied together
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — certain
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — a city
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. kick — in football
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. capital — money
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. craft — a skill

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