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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a ring
  9. degree — an amount
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. sharp — clever
  14. degree — from a university
  15. capital — a city
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. degree — temperature

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