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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: game · shower · bay · stock · toast · race · safe · capital

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. race — humankind
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. race — a contest
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. game — a match
  18. capital — a city
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. shower — rain

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