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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 120 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 · chest · cue · kick · swing · face · degree · tube

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cue — for pool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chest — of your body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. face — to confront
  12. tube — the underground
  13. degree — from a university
  14. swing — in golf
  15. tube — a container
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. swing — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. swing — to play on
  21. degree — an amount
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. kick — in football

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