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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pit — a hole
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pit — in a race
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. snap — to click
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ground — the earth
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. scale — in 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