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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: capital · pound · bass · wake · face · safe · cabinet · roll

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. roll — a cake
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. face — part of the head
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bass — low music
  23. face — to confront
  24. bass — the instrument

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