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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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468
Word bank
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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fork — in a road
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kid — child
  24. safe — out of danger

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