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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. toast — bread
  3. kid — to tease
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hand — help
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. spring — the season
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. spring — of water
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spring — a coil
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cell — in biology
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — child
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. arm — part of the body

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