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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: deal · tear · chair · mark · bass · safe · leaves · capital

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. capital — a city
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. tear — to rip
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. capital — money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mark — a grade
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bass — low music
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bass — the fish
  24. deal — a big deal

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