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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. saw — the tool
  2. content — the amount
  3. capital — money
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. capital — a city
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. hand — help
  11. date — the fruit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. content — happy
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. band — a ring
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. band — a music group
  23. safe — out of danger
  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