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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: bay · press · band · foot · safe · file · capital · fork

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fork — in a road
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. press — to push
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a music group
  12. file — a line of people
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a city
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. press — a publisher
  19. file — a tool
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. press — newspapers
  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