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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: bark · safe · race · key · season · sharp · patient · pop

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. pop — soda
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pop — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. race — the arms race
  9. sharp — clever
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. key — for a lock
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. key — the most important part
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. race — a contest
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. race — humankind

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