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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. march — the month
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. march — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — a measure
  19. capital — money
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. foot — part of the body

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