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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rush — hurry
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. kid — child
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mark — a grade
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. present — there
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ground — a position
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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