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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: kick · mate · wake · safe · track · band · swing · kid

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. band — a ring
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. swing — to play on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mate — to breed
  11. swing — music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. kick — in football
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. swing — in golf
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mate — a friend
  22. kid — to tease
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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