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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bound — tied together
  5. land — ground
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bound — certain
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — money
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. rest — a break
  17. land — to come down
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. land — a country
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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