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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fine — all right
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spring — the season
  16. fine — high quality
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wake — before a funeral

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