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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. content — the amount
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pop — to visit
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pop — music
  12. capital — a city
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. deal — to handle
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — money
  22. content — happy
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a big letter

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