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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. vault — a safe
  8. season — of the year
  9. cold — not warm
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bound — certain
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cold — an illness
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. foot — a measure

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