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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. present — a gift
  5. fine — high quality
  6. capital — a city
  7. fine — all right
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chip — for betting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cold — an illness
  16. season — of the year
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. present — there
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. season — in sport
  21. cold — not warm
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chip — to eat
  24. capital — money

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