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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: safe · nail · fine · scale · wind · mine · march · pitcher

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. scale — size or range
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. march — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. scale — in music
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fine — high quality

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