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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. wax — to grow
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — moving air
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. staff — employees
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bark — to shout
  18. kid — child
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a hole
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pit — in a race

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