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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. game — a match
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kid — child

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