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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: date · kid · hide · capital · rest · cap · safe · spring

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spring — a coil
  3. capital — money
  4. spring — of water
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — of ice
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. spring — the season
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cap — a lid
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kid — child
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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