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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fine — high quality
  4. hand — help
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fine — all right
  7. row — a line
  8. object — a thing
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. object — an aim
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pound — a weight
  16. object — to protest
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hand — in cards
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — to hit hard

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