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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: coach · saw · safe · land · capital · rest · sharp · face

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. land — a country
  3. capital — a city
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. saw — the tool
  12. capital — money
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rest — a break
  18. land — ground
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — to come down
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rest — what's left

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