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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. capital — money
  7. pound — a weight
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. capital — a city
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. charge — electricity
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — not warm
  16. saw — the tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. snap — to click
  19. cold — an illness
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cold — the Cold War

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