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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: craft · march · mate · safe · fine · capital · dip · clip

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. craft — boats
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. clip — a video
  8. craft — a skill
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mate — to breed
  12. march — music
  13. clip — for paper
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — a city
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. capital — money
  23. march — the month
  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