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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.

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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: safe · wind · scale · calf · drill · cell

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. scale — in music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. drill — army training
  8. cell — a phone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. drill — a practice
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — of the leg

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