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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · game · land · safe · ground · scale

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ground — the earth
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. game — wild animals
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. ground — a position
  10. land — to come down
  11. scale — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. land — a country
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. land — ground
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. scale — size or range

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