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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. capital — a city
  8. cell — a phone
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. dip — to sink
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cell — in biology
  17. content — the amount
  18. prune — to trim
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. content — happy
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. sharp — clever
  24. safe — out of danger

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