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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 120 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: capital · fan · content · safe · last · bay · pit · arm

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pit — in a race
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. last — finally
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. capital — money
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. capital — a city
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — to go on
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. last — final
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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