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

Word bank: cell · swing · capital · deal · rest · safe

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rest — a break
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. swing — to play on
  7. capital — a city
  8. cell — a phone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rest — what's left
  13. deal — to handle
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rest — what's left
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. swing — music

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