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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: safe · tear · capital · fine · cap · bear · chip · shower

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tear — from crying
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — a city
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fine — all right
  13. cap — a lid
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fine — high quality
  19. shower — rain
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. chip — for betting
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. safe — out of danger

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