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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. capital — money
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. land — ground
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. capital — a city
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. face — to confront
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. land — to come down
  20. face — part of the head
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fine — high quality
  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