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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: capital · object · bat · mine · safe · scale · wake · shower

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. object — a thing
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mine — for digging
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. scale — in music
  13. object — to protest
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. capital — a city
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. object — an aim
  21. bat — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. scale — for weighing

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