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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. lash — to lash out
  3. toast — bread
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. band — a music group
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. toast — the most admired
  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