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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. land — a country
  4. rash — a series
  5. fine — high quality
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. fine — all right
  9. spell — letters
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. land — ground
  12. rash — hasty
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. land — to come down
  24. safe — out of danger

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