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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — completely
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pop — music
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bound — obliged
  13. row — a line
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pop — to visit
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. scale — size or range
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. scale — in music
  24. pop — soda

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