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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: fork · drill · staff · safe · club · chest

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — of your body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. drill — a practice
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. club — for golf
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fork — in a road
  11. staff — employees
  12. club — a group
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — army training
  15. chest — a box
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fork — to eat with

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