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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · capital · chair · leaves · key · net · safe · ruler

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. net — for catching
  3. capital — a city
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. net — after costs
  13. key — in music
  14. net — in sport
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. key — the most important part
  24. ruler — for measuring

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