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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ground — a position
  5. object — to protest
  6. capital — money
  7. ground — crushed
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ground — the earth
  11. object — an aim
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. capital — a city
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — army training
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. object — a thing
  20. degree — an amount
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. degree — temperature
  24. safe — out of danger

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