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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. present — a gift
  4. degree — from a university
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. present — the time now
  8. rush — hurry
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mine — for digging
  11. capital — money
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. present — there
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. capital — a city
  24. coach — a trainer

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