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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 was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. ground — a position
  3. spring — a coil
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ground — the earth
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pop — music
  8. rule — government
  9. spring — of water
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cue — for pool
  12. content — happy
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. content — the amount
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spring — the season
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pop — soda
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rule — a law

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