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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pop — soda
  5. capital — money
  6. shower — rain
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. degree — an amount
  12. capital — a city
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pop — music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. shower — to wash
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — to visit
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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