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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.

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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 · court · safe · ground · press · content · calf · can

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ground — crushed
  5. can — a tin
  6. content — the amount
  7. press — a publisher
  8. court — of law
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. capital — money
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. can — a tin
  13. ground — the earth
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — happy
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ground — a position
  20. capital — a city
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. can — to be able to
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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