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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: capital · prune · sharp · safe · kick · field · mate · bowl

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mate — a friend
  7. field — a subject
  8. capital — a city
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. sharp — clever
  12. field — for sport
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kick — in football
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. field — farmland
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mate — to breed
  24. safe — out of danger

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