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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. game — wild animals
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. current — happening now
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. capital — a city
  16. game — a match
  17. current — electric
  18. bat — the animal
  19. current — of water
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — money
  22. kid — child
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ruler — for measuring

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