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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. ground — a position
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. march — the month
  8. land — a country
  9. bore — to drill
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. net — for catching
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. ground — crushed
  17. march — the month
  18. bore — to tire
  19. march — music
  20. chair — a leader
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bore — gave birth

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