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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mug — to rob
  4. capital — money
  5. mug — a face
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. mug — a cup
  8. capital — a city
  9. face — to confront
  10. cold — not warm
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fork — in a road

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