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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.

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: capital · season · safe · net · rush · vault · cell · fine

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cell — in biology
  6. season — of the year
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. net — in sport
  10. vault — a safe
  11. net — after costs
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cell — a phone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fine — all right
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. net — for catching
  22. capital — a city
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. season — in sport

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