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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bulb — for light
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bank — for money
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rule — government
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bank — for money
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rule — a law

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