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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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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: bear · mark · capital · bat · safe · present · chair · ground

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. present — a gift
  8. ground — crushed
  9. capital — a city
  10. chair — a leader
  11. present — there
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mark — a trace
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. capital — money
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mark — to pay attention

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