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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. season — of the year
  4. ground — the earth
  5. kid — child
  6. cue — a hint
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chip — to eat
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. drill — the tool
  13. season — in sport
  14. ground — a position
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. drill — army training
  23. ground — crushed
  24. drill — a practice

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