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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — of law
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. firm — decided
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. court — of a king
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. firm — a company
  22. wind — moving air
  23. key — for a lock
  24. firm — steady

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