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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: toast · tear · patient · stick · chip · track · capital · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — for betting
  5. capital — a city
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. track — to keep track
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chip — to eat
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. tear — to rip
  20. capital — money
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tear — from crying

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