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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. firm — decided
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — in sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. firm — steady
  18. net — for catching
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. firm — a company
  24. net — after costs

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