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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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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: ground · track · chest · bay · squash · saw · cold · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. squash — to crush
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ground — a position
  8. cold — not warm
  9. saw — the tool
  10. track — a path
  11. squash — the sport
  12. track — a song
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chest — a box
  15. cold — an illness
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. ground — crushed
  24. track — to keep track

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