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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. chest — a box
  2. spell — magic
  3. scale — in music
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ground — crushed
  8. capital — a city
  9. spell — letters
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. scale — size or range
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ground — a position
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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