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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bound — obliged
  9. kid — child
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bound — tied together
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. key — in music

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