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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: wind · pop · fork · mine · chair · toast · lie · safe

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pop — soda
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lie — to recline
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pop — music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fork — in a road
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. toast — bread
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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