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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tear — from crying
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. key — for a lock
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tear — to rip
  17. scale — in music
  18. hand — help
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. key — the most important part
  22. capital — a city
  23. key — in music
  24. capital — a big letter

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