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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fork — in a road
  3. swing — music
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. swing — to play on
  7. hand — help
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cold — not warm
  11. capital — money
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. swing — in golf
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. date — the fruit
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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