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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rush — hurry
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rock — music
  9. band — a ring
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. land — ground
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. band — a music group
  16. capital — a city
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rock — a stone
  24. capital — money

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