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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — tied together
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bound — obliged
  7. charge — in control
  8. bound — certain
  9. mate — a friend
  10. charge — a price
  11. capital — money
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cold — not warm
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cold — an illness
  17. can — a tin
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. charge — electricity
  21. can — a tin
  22. season — in sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mate — a partner

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