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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. net — after costs
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. net — in sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — for catching
  24. cell — in biology

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