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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: safe · scale · last · degree · mine · fine · patient · snap

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. last — to go on
  10. fine — high quality
  11. snap — to click
  12. scale — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — temperature
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. last — final
  18. mine — for digging
  19. scale — size or range
  20. degree — an amount
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. last — finally
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fine — all right

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