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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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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: fine · temple · capital · safe · field · clip · pop · mark

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fine — high quality
  3. clip — a video
  4. capital — a city
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — farmland
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. field — a subject
  9. capital — money
  10. clip — to cut
  11. field — for sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fine — all right
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pop — music
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a trace
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — for paper

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