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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 124 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. field — for sport
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. can — a tin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. can — a tin
  8. capital — money
  9. can — to be able to
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — a series
  13. field — a subject
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. lean — thin
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. capital — a city
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rash — hasty
  24. saw — the tool

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