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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mug — a face
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. capital — money
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mug — a cup
  7. field — a subject
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. capital — a city
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. field — for sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. field — farmland
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cue — a signal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. branch — a division
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. branch — of a bank

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