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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. capital — a city
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — money
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tube — the underground
  11. race — humankind
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pit — a hole
  14. tube — a container
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lean — thin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. plane — an aircraft

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