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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 · net · capital · lash · present · safe · squash · drill

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bear — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. present — there
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. present — the time now
  13. net — after costs
  14. drill — army training
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — money
  21. present — a gift
  22. bear — the animal
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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