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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ground — the earth
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. staff — employees
  8. lean — to bend
  9. net — after costs
  10. ground — a position
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. staff — a stick
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — for catching
  22. wind — moving air
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. staff — employees

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