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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to tire
  3. firm — a company
  4. mug — a face
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. land — ground
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — a country
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. land — to come down
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mug — to rob
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bore — to drill
  19. mark — a grade
  20. court — of law
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. court — for sport

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