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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stock — goods
  3. bat — the animal
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rest — what's left
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rest — a break
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stock — shares
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rest — what's left
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hand — help
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stock — a soup base

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