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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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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: mate · key · clip · fan · bound · capital · suit · wave

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bound — certain
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. clip — to cut
  10. suit — in cards
  11. capital — money
  12. clip — a video
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mate — a partner
  15. key — in music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. key — the most important part
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — a city
  23. suit — to fit
  24. capital — a big letter

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