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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 · shower · date · rest · lean · kid · vault · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — thin
  5. kid — child
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rest — a break
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. lean — to bend
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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