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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: bay · club · safe · jam · capital · rest

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rest — what's left
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. club — a group
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. capital — a city
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rest — a break
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. club — for golf
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. capital — money

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