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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: rush · bay · bore · stand · capital · wind · safe · pitcher

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — money
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. stand — to bear
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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