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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.

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: season · calf · chest · safe · mug · can · ball · kid

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a face
  4. season — in sport
  5. mug — to rob
  6. can — a tin
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kid — child
  13. mug — a cup
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chest — a box
  21. season — of the year
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ball — a great time

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