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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. row — a line
  7. ground — the earth
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ground — a position
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chair — a professorship
  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