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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
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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: scale · safe · ground · swing · game · shower · wave · clip

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ground — a position
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — rain
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. scale — in music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ground — the earth
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. clip — to cut
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. scale — size or range
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a match
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ground — crushed
  24. clip — a video

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