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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cell — in biology
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. shower — rain
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. face — to point toward
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cell — a phone
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. shower — to wash
  17. face — to confront
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. craft — a skill
  24. dip — a sauce

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