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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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. lean — to rest against
  4. hand — in cards
  5. capital — a city
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lean — thin
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kick — in football
  17. lean — to bend
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mine — for digging
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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