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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. land — to come down
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — a country
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. bound — certain
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — tied together
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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