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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: safe · cap · rush · firm · pitcher · wound · land · last

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. last — final
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — to come down
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. land — a country
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. land — ground
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — finally
  22. cap — a hat
  23. last — to go on
  24. firm — decided

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