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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. game — a match
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. hand — help
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. season — in sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. scale — in music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. toast — bread
  19. game — wild animals
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. hand — in cards
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. scale — size or range
  24. game — a kind of play

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