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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
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: cabinet · safe · deal · mine · racket · shower · last · pass

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. last — to go on
  5. pass — a permit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. shower — rain
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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