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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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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: rest · safe · capital · chair · prune · drill · ball · pit

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pit — in a race
  7. drill — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rest — a break
  11. capital — money
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ball — a great time
  15. capital — a city
  16. pit — a hole
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rest — what's left
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. drill — army training
  24. ball — a dance

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