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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 120 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's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chest — a box
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. chest — of your body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. deal — to handle
  10. court — of law
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. court — of a king
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. land — a country
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — for sport
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bat — for baseball

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