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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rash — a series
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. saw — the tool

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