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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 120 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: safe · ground · ball · cell · foot · stand · wound · cold

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. ground — a position
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cold — an illness
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. ground — crushed
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — not warm

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