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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. hand — in cards
  4. toast — bread
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — help
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. craft — boats
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. saw — the tool
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bank — for money
  24. wound — an injury

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