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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: sharp · safe · court · rock · pitcher · firm · capital · cold

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — money
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. firm — a company
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cold — not warm
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. firm — decided
  20. capital — a city
  21. sharp — clever
  22. firm — steady
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rock — music

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