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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.

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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: mate · bass · wake · land · shower · bowl · last · safe

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. shower — to wash
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. land — ground
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bass — low music
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. shower — rain
  19. last — to go on
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. last — finally
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. last — final
  24. bowl — a football 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