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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: date · safe · tear · present · kick · capital

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — a gift
  3. capital — a city
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. present — there
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — money
  11. present — the time now
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kick — in football
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. tear — to rip
  18. date — the fruit

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