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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bat — the animal
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — a match
  16. deal — to handle
  17. game — wild animals
  18. toast — bread
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bat — for baseball

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