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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: toast · safe · rule · racket · clip · bat · mark · capital

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. clip — for paper
  3. capital — money
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — the animal
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — a city
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rule — a law
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. clip — a video
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rule — government
  18. toast — bread
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mark — a trace
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mark — a grade
  24. racket — for tennis

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