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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. capital — a city
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. snap — to click
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pass — a permit
  8. object — an aim
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. ball — a dance
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. object — to protest
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. object — a thing
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. arm — a part of something

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