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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — obliged
  6. suit — in cards
  7. capital — a city
  8. cue — a hint
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bound — certain
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — money
  18. cue — a signal
  19. row — a line
  20. suit — clothes
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wave — of the sea

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