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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. capital — money
  3. row — a line
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. spell — a short time
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitch — completely
  11. spell — magic
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. perch — the fish
  14. face — to point toward
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spell — letters
  24. perch — for a bird

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