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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · prune · ball · leaves · swing · kick · capital · fine

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. capital — a city
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fine — all right
  7. prune — to trim
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ball — a great time
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kick — in football
  19. fine — high quality
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ball — a dance
  22. prune — to trim
  23. capital — money
  24. fine — a penalty

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