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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. cell — a phone
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pound — a weight
  15. march — music
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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