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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. saw — the tool
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fine — all right
  12. staff — employees
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — to trim
  22. staff — employees
  23. fine — high quality
  24. leaves — to go away

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