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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. spring — the season
  3. key — in music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — ground
  7. content — happy
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. swing — to play on
  13. content — the amount
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. lie — to recline
  16. spring — of water
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. key — for a lock
  23. swing — music
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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