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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: cabinet · tube · safe · club · snap · cold · deal · field

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. club — a group
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — for sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. snap — to click
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — a subject
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. field — farmland
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. club — for golf

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