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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. rest — a break
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. capital — money
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bear — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. perch — the fish
  21. land — a country
  22. rash — a series
  23. land — to come down
  24. rash — hasty

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