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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bound — tied together
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. cap — of ice
  16. race — humankind
  17. capital — a city
  18. bass — low music
  19. race — a contest
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. race — the arms 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