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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. key — in music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — a cup
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cold — an illness
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mark — a trace
  16. capital — a city
  17. mark — a grade
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mug — to rob
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mug — a face
  23. capital — money
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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