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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · court · arm · craft · safe · chair · calf · capital

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. capital — money
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — certain
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bound — tied together
  9. craft — a skill
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of law
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chair — a leader
  17. capital — a city
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. court — of a king
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. craft — boats

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