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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. can — a tin
  4. capital — money
  5. can — to be able to
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chest — of your body
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — in sport
  14. band — a ring
  15. chest — of your body
  16. band — a music group
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chest — a box
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. season — of the year
  22. capital — a city
  23. wind — moving air
  24. sharp — clever

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