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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. track — to keep track
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. capital — money
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. squash — to crush
  8. charge — in control
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. sharp — clever
  11. band — a ring
  12. charge — a price
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. capital — a city
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. charge — electricity
  21. track — a song
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. track — a path
  24. squash — the vegetable

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