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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: trunk · mate · bay · cap · pop · rash · capital · safe

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. rash — hasty
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pop — music
  6. rash — a series
  7. mate — a friend
  8. capital — money
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pop — soda
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pop — to visit
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cap — of ice
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. capital — a city
  17. mate — to breed
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rash — on the skin
  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