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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: toast · content · safe · court · trunk · row · capital · craft

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. toast — bread
  4. craft — boats
  5. capital — a city
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. court — for sport
  8. row — to paddle
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of law
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. craft — a skill
  15. court — of a king
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. row — a line
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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