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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. spell — letters
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — a path
  5. spell — magic
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pop — soda
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lean — to bend
  10. court — of a king
  11. pop — music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pop — to visit
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. track — to keep track
  18. court — of law
  19. lean — thin
  20. track — a song
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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