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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wake — a trail
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — money
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. land — ground
  12. bound — certain
  13. clip — a video
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — a city
  19. land — a country
  20. deal — to handle
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. hide — to keep secret

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