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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 120 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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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: safe · fork · last · capital · fine · bear · cold · rock

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. capital — a city
  3. last — final
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. last — finally
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fine — all right
  12. cold — not warm
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. last — to go on
  15. cold — an illness
  16. capital — money
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rock — music

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