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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. row — a line
  3. bound — obliged
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bound — certain
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bound — tied together
  13. capital — a city
  14. plane — a tool
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rush — hurry
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — money
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. dip — to sink

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