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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. suit — clothes
  3. clip — for paper
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — in cards
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. capital — money
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — a video
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. sharp — clever
  24. last — to go on

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