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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — all right
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. squash — the sport
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. fine — high quality
  18. land — to come down
  19. drill — army training
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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