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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: straw · deal · safe · bowl · cold · tube · spell · rest

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cold — not warm
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. spell — letters
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rest — a break
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. spell — magic
  23. cold — an illness
  24. tube — a container

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