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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. wound — an injury
  3. key — in music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wound — an injury
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — a phone
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ball — a dance
  16. degree — from a university
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wind — moving air
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. key — the most important part
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cell — in biology

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