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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. tear — to rip
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bound — certain
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. capital — money
  13. bound — obliged
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fall — the season
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. fork — in a road
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. fall — to drop

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