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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 116 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: pitcher · safe · mark · game · cell · last · nail · wind

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — final
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. last — finally
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wind — moving air
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cell — a phone
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cell — in biology
  24. nail — for a hammer

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