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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
468
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: kick · game · cap · wound · net · march · wake · safe

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. march — the month
  3. game — wild animals
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — in sport
  9. march — music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. net — for catching
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wound — an injury
  21. march — the month
  22. net — after costs
  23. game — a match
  24. cap — a lid

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