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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: cold · safe · racket · season · nail · cue · bear · kid

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — in sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. season — of the year
  6. bear — the animal
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kid — child
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cue — for pool
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. kid — to tease

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