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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hand — in cards
  3. capital — money
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tear — to rip
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — for digging
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fine — high quality
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. hand — help
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spell — magic
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spell — letters
  24. safe — a strongbox

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