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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. staff — employees
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. scale — in music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. race — a contest
  13. staff — employees
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. tear — to rip
  18. capital — a city
  19. tear — from crying
  20. race — humankind
  21. scale — size or range
  22. staff — a stick
  23. capital — money
  24. ruler — for measuring

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