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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. band — a music group
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bound — certain
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. root — of a word
  12. band — a ring
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kick — in football
  15. game — a match
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bound — tied together
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. root — the cause
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. game — a kind of play

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