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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. can — a tin
  5. rule — a law
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fall — the season
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. can — to be able to
  16. rule — government
  17. fall — to drop
  18. firm — decided
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bound — obliged
  21. can — a tin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — certain
  24. pass — to spend time

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