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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. track — a song
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. track — a path
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. ball — a dance
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — a trail
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. snap — to click
  21. shower — rain
  22. bat — the animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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