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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 · bear · leaves · toast · ball · content · safe · kick

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. content — the amount
  9. cold — an illness
  10. toast — bread
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ball — a dance
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. kick — in football
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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