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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. capital — a city
  4. last — final
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bound — obliged
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. capital — money
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. firm — a company
  15. lean — thin
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — to go on
  18. firm — decided
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. firm — steady
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. last — finally
  24. capital — a big letter

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