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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. capital — money
  2. file — a tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. capital — a city
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bound — obliged
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bound — certain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. present — there
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. present — the time now
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mark — a trace
  22. file — a document
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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