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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. key — for a lock
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — an injury
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bear — the animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pop — to visit
  11. key — in music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pop — soda
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wound — an injury
  22. snap — to click
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. date — the fruit

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