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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: bay · shower · squash · game · stem · safe · pass · fine

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. fine — all right
  3. game — a match
  4. pass — a permit
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. shower — rain
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. shower — to wash
  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