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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. firm — a company
  5. object — an aim
  6. pop — soda
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pop — to visit
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. object — to protest
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. firm — decided
  21. clip — a video
  22. capital — money
  23. firm — steady
  24. pop — music

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