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

Word bank: bulb · pound · cue · rest · wound · safe · fine · bat

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — all right
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rest — a break
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bat — the animal

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