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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tube — a container
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. field — farmland
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. bass — low music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — for sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tube — the underground
  18. field — a subject
  19. chest — a box
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bass — the fish
  24. key — for a lock

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