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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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. spell — letters
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. spell — magic
  8. toast — bread
  9. land — to come down
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. spell — a short time
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. land — a country
  18. kid — to tease
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. present — the time now
  22. land — ground
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. kid — child

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