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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · mouse · cold · march · bound · staff · leaves · foot

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. foot — a measure
  5. capital — a city
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. staff — a stick

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