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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: capital · fork · squash · court · cold · safe · nail · bound

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. court — of law
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bound — certain
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. court — of a king
  10. squash — the sport
  11. capital — a city
  12. court — for sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — money
  15. bound — obliged
  16. squash — to crush
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fork — in a road
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fork — a garden tool

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