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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — ground
  7. pop — soda
  8. object — an aim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. degree — from a university
  11. object — a thing
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chest — a box
  14. pop — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pop — to visit
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chest — of your body
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — a measure
  23. object — to protest
  24. coach — a trainer

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