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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chest — a box
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chest — of your body
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rock — a stone
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — finally
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wind — moving air
  24. safe — a strongbox

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