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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: kid · capital · content · saw · ball · safe · board · rush

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — child
  7. capital — money
  8. ball — a dance
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — happy
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rush — hurry
  19. board — to get on
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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