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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chest — a box
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. shower — rain
  14. rock — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — to drill
  24. shower — to wash

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