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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — the sport
  3. drill — army training
  4. capital — a city
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. squash — to crush
  10. can — a tin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. can — to be able to
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fine — high quality
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — all right
  20. drill — the tool
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. can — a tin

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