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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mug — a face
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rock — music

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