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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. last — finally
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a music group
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stand — to bear
  11. capital — a city
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. capital — money
  18. deal — to handle
  19. last — final
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. safe — out of danger
  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