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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wake — a trail
  3. net — in sport
  4. cell — a phone
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. content — the amount
  17. file — a document
  18. bound — certain
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wake — before a funeral

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