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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rest — what's left
  5. court — of a king
  6. file — a document
  7. court — of law
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rest — a break
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — for sport
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chip — to eat
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. chip — in a computer

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