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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — for sport
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chip — to eat
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. capital — a city
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chip — for betting
  20. court — of a king
  21. capital — money
  22. court — of law
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chip — in a computer

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