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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mate — a partner
  4. land — to come down
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. sharp — clever
  7. land — a country
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. scale — in music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. hand — help
  17. mate — a friend
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — the animal
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. land — ground
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mate — to breed

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