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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. band — a ring
  3. cue — for pool
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. last — to go on
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. last — final
  16. capital — money
  17. last — finally
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. capital — a city
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — a weight

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