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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.

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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: bay · club · safe · jam · capital · rest · mug · foot

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. foot — a measure
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. club — for golf
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — a face
  10. capital — a city
  11. rest — what's left
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rest — a break
  16. club — a group
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. capital — money
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. mug — a cup

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