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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. club — a group
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. content — happy
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fine — all right
  9. wound — an injury
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. club — for golf
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — for dancing
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — the amount
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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