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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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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: court · safe · ground · pit · capital · mug · shower · chair

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mug — a cup
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mug — a face
  8. capital — money
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. ground — a position
  12. court — of law
  13. mug — to rob
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. shower — rain
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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