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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — help
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cold — not warm
  7. charge — electricity
  8. court — of law
  9. charge — in control
  10. mark — a trace
  11. charge — a price
  12. court — of a king
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mark — a grade
  22. court — for sport
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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