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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 120 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
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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 · capital · squash · kick · leaves · clip · cue · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cue — a hint
  5. clip — a video
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cue — for pool
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. court — of law
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. kick — in football
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. capital — money
  18. clip — for paper
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cue — a signal
  23. court — of a king
  24. capital — a city

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