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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: safe · content · face · fine · wound · kid · capital · plane

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. fine — all right
  4. face — to confront
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. kid — child
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. kid — to tease
  22. face — part of the head
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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