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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — to go on
  9. firm — a company
  10. row — a line
  11. fork — in a road
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. firm — steady
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — decided
  17. last — final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chip — for betting
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. land — a country
  24. last — finally

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