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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — in sport
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. spell — letters
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. spell — magic
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — after costs
  23. ball — a great time
  24. shower — rain

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