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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. key — in music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wound — an injury
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — to breed
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. key — for a lock
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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