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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · key · can · fall · scale · kid · mug · game

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. can — to be able to
  6. kid — child
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. key — for a lock
  9. can — a tin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. fall — the season
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — in music
  17. game — a match
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. key — the most important part
  20. scale — in music
  21. kid — to tease
  22. scale — size or range
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — wild animals

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