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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 116 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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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: capital · cap · can · stick · bat · chair · safe · mark

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. capital — a city
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mark — a grade
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — a lid
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. capital — money
  19. can — a tin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bat — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bat — for baseball

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