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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: tube · bay · last · pound · capital · safe · hide · mark

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. last — finally
  6. capital — a city
  7. last — to go on
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. last — final
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. capital — money
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pound — to hit hard

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