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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. squash — to crush
  7. sharp — clever
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. season — of the year
  24. bark — of a tree

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