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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: mate · land · can · shower · game · track · dip · safe

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mate — to breed
  4. can — a tin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. can — to be able to
  7. shower — to wash
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mate — a friend
  10. dip — to sink
  11. game — a match
  12. track — a song
  13. land — to come down
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — rain
  17. mate — a partner
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. land — ground
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. land — a country

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