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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · capital · sharp · bound · fan · degree

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. degree — from a university
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. capital — a city
  12. bound — certain
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fan — a supporter

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