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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chest — a box
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. capital — money
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — a city
  20. kid — child
  21. wax — to grow
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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