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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wax — to grow
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. tear — from crying
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. swing — in golf
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. tear — from crying

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