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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. charge — in control
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — for catching
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — after costs
  18. file — a tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pop — soda
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a document
  24. chest — of your body

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