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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 116 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stand — to bear
  4. rash — a series
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. degree — an amount
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wax — to grow
  13. degree — temperature
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rule — a law
  17. degree — from a university
  18. capital — money
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rule — government
  21. capital — a city
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. safe — out of danger

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