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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spring — of water
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. spring — a coil
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. cue — a hint
  8. capital — a city
  9. drill — a practice
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cue — a signal
  16. spring — the season
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pound — for dogs

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