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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. content — happy
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. content — the amount
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. shower — to wash
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. shower — rain

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