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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: club · mate · capital · mouse · perch · ground · clip · safe

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mate — a partner
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. clip — a video
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ground — a position
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. capital — a city
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mate — to breed
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. club — a group
  24. mate — a friend

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