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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: safe · hide · bore · ground · capital · chest · sharp · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chest — of your body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — the earth
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. race — the arms race
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — to tire
  14. capital — money
  15. ground — crushed
  16. sharp — clever
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bore — to drill
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chest — a box
  24. bore — gave birth

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