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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — a path
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. capital — a city
  13. scale — size or range
  14. capital — money
  15. last — final
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. track — to keep track
  18. last — to go on
  19. wax — to grow
  20. last — finally
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. scale — in music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — a song

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