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

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rash — a series
  3. can — a tin
  4. last — to go on
  5. can — a tin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. season — of the year
  9. can — to be able to
  10. last — finally
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rash — hasty
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. season — in sport
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fine — high quality
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. last — final
  20. fine — all right
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. season — to add flavour

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