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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rest — a break
  6. object — to protest
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — a thing
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — a cup
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. object — an aim
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. track — a song
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. last — finally

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