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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.

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: rash · safe · leaves · hand · cap · bat · court · capital

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cap — a lid
  4. hand — help
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. hand — in cards
  8. court — of law
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. cap — a hat
  14. capital — a city
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. court — of a king
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. safe — out of danger

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