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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: safe · wound · root · last · racket · degree · game · vault

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. degree — from a university
  5. root — of a word
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. vault — a safe
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. root — the cause
  14. last — final
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. root — of a plant
  17. degree — an amount
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. degree — temperature
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. wound — an injury

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