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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: clip · staff · safe · capital · spell · mug · leaves · key

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. clip — for paper
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. capital — a city
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mug — to rob
  10. staff — employees
  11. capital — money
  12. clip — to cut
  13. spell — magic
  14. key — for a lock
  15. clip — a video
  16. mug — a face
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spell — a short time
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spell — letters
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mug — a cup

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