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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bound — obliged
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. sharp — clever
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. bound — tied together
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — a city
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. capital — money
  24. jam — in traffic

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