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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — an injury
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ground — crushed
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wound — an injury
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rule — government
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rule — a law
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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