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

Word bank: firm · fork · capital · race · rest · bound · date · lie

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. race — a contest
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bound — certain
  6. capital — a city
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fork — in a road
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rest — what's left
  14. firm — steady
  15. date — the fruit
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rest — a break
  18. firm — a company
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bound — tied together
  21. firm — decided
  22. capital — money
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lie — an untruth

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