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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cell — a phone
  3. last — finally
  4. game — a match
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. cell — in biology
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rash — a series
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bear — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. toast — bread
  20. last — final
  21. rash — hasty
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. last — to go on

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