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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mate — a friend
  6. dip — to sink
  7. row — to paddle
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — a line
  10. mine — for digging
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. band — a music group
  19. kick — in football
  20. mate — to breed
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mate — a partner
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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