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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. capital — money
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. suit — clothes
  7. row — a line
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bass — low music
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. capital — a city
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. row — to paddle
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pit — in a race
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. degree — from a university

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