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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cell — a phone
  4. spell — letters
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — magic
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wound — an injury
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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