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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. foot — a measure
  4. game — a match
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kid — to tease
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cell — in biology
  16. toast — bread
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cell — a phone
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kid — child
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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