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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: face · ground · cabinet · wind · safe · bat · toast · game

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ground — the earth
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ground — a position
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. game — a match
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. face — part of the head
  17. toast — bread
  18. face — to confront
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bat — in an idiom

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