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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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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: race · safe · bark · court · pit · mate · nail · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. court — of a king
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mate — a friend
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. court — of law
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — a city
  10. court — for sport
  11. race — humankind
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bark — to shout
  19. race — a contest
  20. pit — a hole
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mate — to breed
  23. race — the arms race
  24. nail — on a finger

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