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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: last · dip · squash · capital · hand · bear · saw · safe

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — finally
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bear — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. last — final
  13. squash — the sport
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hand — help
  17. squash — to crush
  18. capital — money
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to sink
  22. last — to go on
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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