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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cell — in biology
  7. key — for a lock
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. key — in music
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — a container
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. dip — to dunk

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