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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bear — the animal
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. game — a match
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lean — thin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. roll — a cake
  10. race — the arms race
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bear — the animal
  15. race — a contest
  16. bat — the animal
  17. roll — a list
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. race — humankind
  23. degree — an amount
  24. safe — a strongbox

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