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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: wound · foot · safe · toast · fall · chest · dip · deal

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. dip — to sink
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chest — of your body
  10. toast — bread
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chest — a box
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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