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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 didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. capital — a city
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. last — final
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. capital — money
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. net — after costs
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — for catching
  18. foot — a measure
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. net — in sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chest — a box

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