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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. march — the month
  3. bulb — for light
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cold — an illness
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — music
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mine — for digging
  15. march — the month
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bulb — for light
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chair — a leader
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mine — an explosive

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