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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: kid · staff · safe · rock · hide · land · content · fall

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rock — music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rock — a stone
  9. content — the amount
  10. kid — child
  11. staff — employees
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. land — a country
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — happy
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fall — the season
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fall — to drop

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