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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.

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: capital · snap · safe · scale · calf · season · hide · clip

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. clip — a video
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — a city
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. capital — money
  21. clip — for paper
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. scale — size or range
  24. calf — a young animal

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