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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.

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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: stick · bound · capital · chair · bowl · tear · staff · fork

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — obliged
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. capital — money
  13. staff — employees
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bound — certain
  16. fork — in a road
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — a leader
  23. staff — employees
  24. bowl — a football final

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