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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. race — humankind
  3. pit — a hole
  4. race — a contest
  5. band — a music group
  6. bat — the animal
  7. file — a tool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. band — a ring
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. race — the arms race
  20. file — a document
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pound — a weight
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pound — to hit hard

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