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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — a city
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. last — final
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. drill — a practice
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pass — a permit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. last — to go on
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — army training
  24. capital — money

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