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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. clip — for paper
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — thin
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. capital — a city
  7. fork — in a road
  8. clip — a video
  9. capital — money
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. clip — to cut
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stand — to bear
  15. object — to protest
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. lean — to bend
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. object — an aim
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. object — a thing
  23. racket — for tennis
  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