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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: rock · cap · firm · band · pitcher · safe · net · race

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. race — humankind
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — a hat
  9. firm — a company
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. cap — of ice
  18. net — in sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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