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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. net — for catching
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. capital — a city
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. drill — the tool
  13. capital — money
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. band — a ring
  17. net — in sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. drill — army training

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