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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mine — for digging
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pound — a weight
  23. degree — from a university
  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