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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mug — to rob
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mug — a face
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chip — for betting
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — rain
  22. track — a song
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitcher — a jug

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