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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: mate · pop · nail · fall · last · chest · wound · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pop — music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — soda
  7. last — to go on
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. fall — the season
  14. last — final
  15. pop — to visit
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chest — a box
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wound — an injury
  23. last — finally
  24. mate — to breed

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