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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: toast · bore · capital · bound · fan · deal · kid · spell

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. bound — obliged
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. capital — money
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spell — magic
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. capital — a city
  11. bound — tied together
  12. toast — bread
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bound — certain
  15. kid — child
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. bore — to tire
  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