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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. ground — the earth
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ground — crushed
  6. track — a path
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. track — a song
  9. pass — a permit
  10. ground — a position
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. net — for catching
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — after costs
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. net — in sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. track — to keep track

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