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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — final
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bound — certain
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. last — to go on
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. last — finally
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. wound — an injury

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