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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. staff — employees
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mate — a friend
  7. degree — an amount
  8. scale — in music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hand — help
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mate — to breed
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — temperature
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mate — a partner
  18. degree — from a university
  19. swing — music
  20. toast — bread
  21. staff — a stick
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. swing — in golf

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