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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. root — of a plant
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. fine — high quality
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. race — a contest
  9. cue — a hint
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. season — in sport
  14. race — the arms race
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. race — humankind
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. season — of the year
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. safe — out of danger

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