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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tear — to rip
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. hand — in cards
  11. row — to paddle
  12. tear — from crying
  13. row — a line
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. craft — boats
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bound — certain
  19. tear — from crying
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bound — tied together
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hand — help
  24. lash — an eyelash

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