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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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Word bank
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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: pop · safe · sharp · kid · present · wake · chest · bowl

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pop — soda
  3. present — there
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chest — a box
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. sharp — clever
  8. present — the time now
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pop — music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. present — a gift
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bowl — to roll

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