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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: date · saw · ruler · kid · cap · safe · key · cell

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cap — a hat
  3. kid — child
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cap — a lid
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cell — in biology
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — to tease
  21. key — the most important part
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. key — in music
  24. cap — of ice

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