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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — tied together
  4. current — of water
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fall — to drop
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fall — the season
  18. current — electric
  19. bound — obliged
  20. capital — money
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ground — a position
  23. fall — to drop
  24. current — happening now

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