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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cell — a phone
  10. can — to be able to
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fine — all right
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. last — finally
  20. hand — help
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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