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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ground — a position
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. race — a contest
  6. present — there
  7. ground — crushed
  8. present — a gift
  9. race — humankind
  10. craft — a skill
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. chest — a box
  15. present — the time now
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. file — a tool
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. race — the arms race
  23. file — a document
  24. safe — a strongbox

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