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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chest — a box
  5. kid — child
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ground — crushed
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. staff — a stick
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. stem — to come from
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. dip — to sink

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