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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 116 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: chair · kick · tear · leaves · safe · ball · wind · saw

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. saw — the tool
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. tear — from crying
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ball — a great time
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — from crying
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — a leader

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