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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: sharp · capital · squash · safe · bark · pop · race · tube

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bark — to shout
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. squash — the sport
  6. capital — money
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. race — the arms race
  9. capital — a city
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. race — a contest
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pop — soda
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pop — music
  18. squash — to crush
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. race — humankind
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. sharp — clever

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