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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: safe · spell · arm · last · kid · mate · pound · bark

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kid — child
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spell — magic
  9. last — finally
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — to go on
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mate — to breed
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. safe — out of danger

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