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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: rash · fork · temple · net · kid · spell · last · safe

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rash — hasty
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — in a road
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spell — magic
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rash — a series
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — final
  20. kid — child
  21. last — finally
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. spell — letters

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