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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: capital · safe · lean · ball · cold · bay · clip · rock

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. clip — a video
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ball — a dance
  11. clip — for paper
  12. capital — money
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rock — music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cold — an illness
  21. capital — a city
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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