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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: court · deal · wound · stick · pitcher · march · capital · safe

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — for sport
  9. deal — to handle
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. court — of law
  12. march — music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — of a king
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — a city
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wound — an injury
  24. capital — money

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