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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. face — to confront
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stock — shares
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. squash — to crush
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lean — to bend
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lean — thin
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stock — goods
  21. capital — money
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. capital — a city
  24. row — a line

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