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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: safe · deal · chair · nail · coach · fall · mate · wind

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mate — to breed
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fall — the season
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chair — a leader
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mate — a friend
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. deal — a big deal

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