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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: fork · racket · safe · fine · capital · hide · scale · wind

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. scale — size or range
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — in music
  5. fine — all right
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fork — in a road
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — money
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wind — moving air

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