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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. capital — money
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — help
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bound — obliged
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. hand — in cards
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — hasty
  23. capital — a city
  24. rash — a series

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