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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: cell · bear · capital · hand · clip · firm · safe · rush

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. firm — a company
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cell — a phone
  5. capital — money
  6. hand — help
  7. clip — for paper
  8. firm — decided
  9. capital — a city
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. clip — a video
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. firm — steady
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. hand — part of the body

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