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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: ball · season · wave · ground · capital · scale · safe · mug

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. season — in sport
  4. capital — a city
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ground — crushed
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ball — a great time
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mug — a face
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. capital — money
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ground — a position
  24. mug — a cup

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