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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bound — obliged
  4. capital — money
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — a series
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. capital — a city
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bound — tied together

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