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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · swing · rock · safe · rest · cell · foot · mine

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rest — a break
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cell — in biology
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. swing — music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rock — a stone
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rock — music
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. swing — in golf
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — a phone

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