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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. track — a path
  4. scale — in music
  5. bank — of a river
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hand — in cards
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — a song
  12. hand — help
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. sharp — clever
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. capital — money
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bank — for money
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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