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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.

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: capital · game · bass · safe · prune · date

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — a match
  4. date — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. capital — a city
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — money
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. game — wild animals

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