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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. scale — for weighing
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. scale — in music
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — size or range
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. key — in music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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