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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: pound · wound · net · ruler · safe · kid · key · squash

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. net — for catching
  3. key — the most important part
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. key — for a lock
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. key — in music
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wound — an injury
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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