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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rock — music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. drill — the tool
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rock — a stone
  16. date — the fruit
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. drill — army training
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. drill — a practice
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rock — to move gently

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