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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 · capital · safe · season · jam · fork · racket · mark

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. season — in sport
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. capital — money
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — a trace
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. capital — a city
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fork — in a road
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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