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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. band — a music group
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. hand — help
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. content — happy
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cold — not warm
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — to grow

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