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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.

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: arm · jam · safe · ground · degree · spring · capital · court

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. court — for sport
  4. degree — temperature
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. degree — from a university
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of a king
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. degree — an amount
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. ground — a position
  16. capital — a city
  17. court — of law
  18. spring — a coil
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. spring — the season
  22. ground — the earth
  23. capital — money
  24. spring — of water

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