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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: spell · mate · saw · firm · safe · bark · capital · chair

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — money
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. spell — magic
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — to shout
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mate — a partner
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. spell — a short time
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spell — letters
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. capital — a city
  24. firm — decided

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