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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rule — a law
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rule — government
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. swing — to play on
  19. pass — a permit
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. swing — music
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fork — to eat with

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