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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: bore · capital · coach · safe · kid · rush · season · spell

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spell — magic
  8. season — of the year
  9. capital — a city
  10. bore — to tire
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bore — to drill
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spell — letters
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rush — hurry
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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