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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 didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. firm — a company
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. firm — decided
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — letters
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. last — finally
  15. spell — magic
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — to go on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bat — the animal
  20. firm — steady
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spell — a short time
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitcher — a jug

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