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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: capital · mark · scale · safe · pound · toast · cold · stand

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mark — a trace
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — bread
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — a grade
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cold — an illness
  22. scale — in music
  23. capital — money
  24. cold — the Cold War

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