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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. suit — in cards
  3. land — to come down
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. land — ground
  13. suit — to fit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. drill — the tool
  16. suit — clothes
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. drill — army training
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. degree — from a university

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