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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — a partner
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. land — to come down
  10. fine — all right
  11. content — happy
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. content — the amount
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — a country
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fine — high quality
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — the animal

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