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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — a series
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cell — a phone
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. kid — child
  11. fine — high quality
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mark — a grade
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cell — in biology

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