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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: key · ground · object · tear · kick · cabinet · stick · safe

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. object — a thing
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ground — a position
  12. object — an aim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kick — in football
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ground — the earth
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — in music

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