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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — the amount
  4. kid — to tease
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. capital — money
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. drill — a practice
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. drill — the tool
  17. content — happy
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. snap — to click
  21. drill — army training
  22. capital — a city
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. safe — out of danger

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