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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mate — to breed
  4. prune — to trim
  5. club — a group
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. club — for dancing
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mate — a friend
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mate — a partner
  24. club — for golf

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