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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. staff — employees
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. staff — a stick
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ground — the earth
  14. staff — employees
  15. mine — for digging
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cell — a phone
  24. racket — for tennis

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