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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. capital — money
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ground — crushed
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. ground — the earth
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — all right
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ground — a position
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. saw — the tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. cold — not warm

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