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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — hasty
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rash — a series
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. suit — in cards
  10. capital — a city
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. suit — to fit
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. race — a contest

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