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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 the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. present — the time now
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ground — the earth
  11. present — a gift
  12. snap — to click
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. ground — a position
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. present — there
  24. safe — out of danger

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