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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. firm — decided
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. firm — a company
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. row — a line
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. capital — money
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. firm — steady
  23. row — to paddle
  24. straw — a straw man

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