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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. land — ground
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — rain
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. cell — in biology
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. staff — employees
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. shower — to wash
  17. staff — a stick
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. land — a country

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