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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · capital · safe · swing · calf · cell

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — magic
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. swing — music
  5. spell — letters
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spell — a short time
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cell — in biology
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — money
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal

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