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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: ground · fine · shower · club · safe · game · pitcher · dip

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — a group
  3. ground — crushed
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ground — a position
  11. fine — high quality
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. club — for golf
  16. shower — rain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — a match
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — to wash
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. safe — out of danger

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