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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. firm — decided
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. firm — a company
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. firm — steady
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kick — in football
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cell — in biology
  24. safe — out of danger

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