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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mate — a friend
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. drill — army training
  5. mate — a partner
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fine — high quality
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. foot — a measure
  18. court — of law
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. rash — a series

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