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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.

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: scale · bound · safe · kid · rock · net · race · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. kid — child
  3. race — humankind
  4. scale — size or range
  5. net — in sport
  6. bound — certain
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rock — music
  9. race — a contest
  10. net — after costs
  11. scale — in music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fine — all right
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rock — a stone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bound — obliged
  24. safe — out of danger

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