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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 116 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: net · capital · snap · hand · safe · ground · scale · suit

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. suit — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ground — the earth
  10. net — after costs
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. suit — clothes
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. suit — to fit
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. capital — money
  20. net — in sport
  21. snap — to click
  22. hand — help
  23. net — for catching
  24. capital — a city

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