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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 120 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: wave · safe · land · sharp · track · mine · rash · pitcher

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rash — a series
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. land — a country
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. track — a song
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. track — a path

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