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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bowl · safe · key · capital · press · saw · racket · hand

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. capital — a city
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. hand — in cards
  13. press — a publisher
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. press — to push
  17. capital — money
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. press — newspapers
  24. key — the most important part

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