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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. land — to come down
  5. capital — money
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — in biology
  8. capital — a city
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cell — a phone
  11. race — a contest
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. land — a country
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. land — ground
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chip — to eat
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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