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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 was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — to come down
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. land — ground
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — an illness
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. can — a tin
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. can — to be able to
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mine — for digging
  21. land — a country
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. arm — part of the 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