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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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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. march — music
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. field — for sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. field — farmland
  12. net — in sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. net — after costs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. march — the month
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. field — a subject
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — ground
  24. net — for catching

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