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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: wake · capital · safe · hand · mine · club · face · fine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. club — for golf
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. club — a group
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. fine — all right
  13. capital — a city
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fine — high quality
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. club — for dancing
  24. capital — money

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