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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pitcher · wind · game · mine · safe · shower · capital · chair

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wind — moving air
  9. capital — a city
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a match
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. shower — to wash
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. shower — rain
  21. game — wild animals
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitcher — a jug

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