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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: scale · face · mug · shower · kid · safe · degree · capital

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. kid — to tease
  3. scale — in music
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. shower — rain
  7. degree — temperature
  8. face — to point toward
  9. degree — from a university
  10. face — part of the head
  11. shower — to wash
  12. kid — child
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. face — to confront
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mug — a face
  20. scale — size or range
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mug — to rob

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