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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. court — for sport
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. game — a match
  9. net — in sport
  10. chest — a box
  11. net — for catching
  12. court — of a king
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. court — of law
  18. net — after costs
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. game — a kind of play

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