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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rock — a stone
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. net — after costs
  10. wound — an injury
  11. capital — money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. foot — a measure
  18. net — in sport
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. capital — a city
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — a video

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