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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stand — to bear
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. degree — from a university
  15. swing — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fall — the season
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wound — an injury
  24. degree — temperature

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