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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — a match
  3. march — the month
  4. land — a country
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — a trail
  8. drill — a practice
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. land — to come down
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. march — the month
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. march — music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. game — wild animals
  22. drill — the tool
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — army training

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