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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 120 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: bound · safe · kid · bay · cell · capital · craft · spell

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bound — certain
  3. kid — child
  4. capital — a city
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — letters
  10. cell — in biology
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bound — tied together
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. spell — magic
  23. capital — money
  24. safe — out of danger

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