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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fall — to drop
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — a phone
  11. chair — a leader
  12. mate — to breed
  13. kid — child
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mate — a partner
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — a line
  21. mate — a friend
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. calf — of the leg

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