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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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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 · bay · arm · kid · press · rest · ground · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — money
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rest — a break
  8. press — a publisher
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. kid — child
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ground — a position
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — crushed
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. capital — a city
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. capital — a big letter
  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