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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — happy
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mate — a partner
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. net — in sport
  15. club — for dancing
  16. net — after costs
  17. capital — a city
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. content — the amount
  20. key — in music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. club — a group
  23. key — the most important part
  24. net — for catching

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