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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. race — humankind
  6. suit — in cards
  7. clip — for paper
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tube — a container
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. content — the amount
  16. tube — the underground
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. spell — letters
  20. race — the arms race
  21. clip — to cut
  22. race — a contest
  23. spell — a short time
  24. clip — a video

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