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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. capital — a city
  3. shower — to wash
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rush — hurry
  6. capital — money
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rule — government
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — tied together
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. season — of the year
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rule — a law
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rush — a thrill

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