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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bore — to drill
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bore — to tire
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bound — tied together
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bound — certain
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. degree — temperature
  19. scale — in music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. scale — size or range
  22. capital — money
  23. tear — to rip
  24. arm — a part of something

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