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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hand — in cards
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. scale — in music
  11. stock — shares
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stock — goods
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hand — help
  21. cue — a signal
  22. drill — army training
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. chip — to eat

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