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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. shower — to wash
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. capital — a city
  5. firm — a company
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. firm — steady
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. season — of the year
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. firm — decided
  18. shower — rain
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. sharp — clever
  21. capital — money
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. safe — a strongbox

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