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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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Word bank
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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: safe · bowl · degree · fall · fork · foot

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. 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 — a strongbox
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fork — in a road
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fall — the season
  18. 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