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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: swing · mine · mug · safe · ground · cabinet · mouse · capital

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. ground — a position
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. capital — a city
  10. mug — a cup
  11. ground — the earth
  12. swing — music
  13. mug — to rob
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. capital — money
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mug — a face
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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