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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pass — a permit
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — to tease
  13. game — a match
  14. kid — child
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. capital — money
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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