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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — an amount
  6. foot — a measure
  7. charge — in control
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. charge — electricity
  12. degree — temperature
  13. club — a group
  14. wound — an injury
  15. charge — a price
  16. swing — music
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. swing — in golf
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — for golf

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