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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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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: kid · root · safe · wind · fall · key · wake · chip

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. root — of a word
  9. fall — the season
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wind — moving air
  21. root — the cause
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fall — to drop
  24. key — for a lock

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