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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. capital — a city
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hand — help
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. capital — money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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