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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.

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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: ground · game · pop · wax · row · swing · safe · bowl

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — a line
  9. pop — soda
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. swing — music
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ground — crushed
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. game — a match

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