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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. capital — money
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bound — tied together
  8. capital — a city
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rock — music
  12. pop — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — magic
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spell — letters
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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