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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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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: cabinet · deal · spell · cold · rest · mouse · fork · safe

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spell — magic
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spell — letters
  8. fork — in a road
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. spell — a short 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