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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 120 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: mate · cell · bowl · wind · craft · capital · safe · hide

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mate — a friend
  5. craft — boats
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mate — to breed
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cell — in biology
  23. craft — a skill
  24. capital — a city

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