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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: safe · bear · nail · capital · court · deal · last · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. last — finally
  3. bear — the animal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. court — for sport
  10. deal — to handle
  11. court — of law
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. capital — a city
  16. last — to go on
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. court — of a king
  22. last — final
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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