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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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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. degree — an amount
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hand — help
  15. plane — a tool
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pit — a hole
  18. degree — from a university

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