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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. degree — from a university
  8. capital — a city
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — money
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bear — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pit — in a race

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