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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mark — a grade
  3. degree — an amount
  4. game — a match
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. swing — to play on
  8. game — wild animals
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. degree — from a university
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. degree — temperature
  20. present — a gift
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. swing — music

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