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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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 — a strongbox
  2. net — in sport
  3. capital — a city
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. last — final
  7. field — farmland
  8. pit — in a race
  9. last — to go on
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. net — after costs
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. content — the amount
  14. board — a committee
  15. pit — a hole
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — for sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. capital — money
  21. field — a subject
  22. board — to get on
  23. last — finally
  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