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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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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 · bound · cold · can · bore · dip · deal · present

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — the time now
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. present — a gift
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. can — a tin
  11. bound — tied together
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. can — a tin
  15. bore — to drill
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bore — to tire
  19. can — to be able to
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. cold — an illness
  22. present — there
  23. deal — to handle
  24. dip — a sauce

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