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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of law
  3. content — happy
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. court — of a king
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. race — the arms race
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. race — a contest
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. content — the amount
  18. race — humankind
  19. court — for sport
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bowl — to roll

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