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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: game · nail · bound · hide · capital · deal · staff · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — a city
  7. game — wild animals
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — money
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. row — a line
  13. bound — tied together
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. game — a match
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. deal — to handle

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