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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — help
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. key — in music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bass — low music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. content — happy
  12. bass — the fish
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. key — the most important part
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. content — the amount
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — in cards

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