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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: safe · kid · band · ball · toast · foot · bark · cold

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cold — an illness
  6. band — a ring
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. band — a music group
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cold — not warm
  18. toast — bread
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. kid — to tease

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