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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: kid · game · capital · wind · safe · wake · bass · swing

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wake — a trail
  4. capital — a city
  5. kid — child
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — money
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. kid — to tease
  12. swing — to play on
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bass — the fish
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. game — a match
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bass — low music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  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