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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 120 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — an amount
  3. court — of a king
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. race — humankind
  6. degree — from a university
  7. court — of law
  8. can — to be able to
  9. staff — employees
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — temperature
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. court — for sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — a tin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. race — a contest
  22. can — a tin
  23. foot — a measure
  24. race — the arms race

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