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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: arm · safe · patient · rash · mouse · capital · march · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. rash — hasty
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. march — the month
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. arm — 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