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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 · kid · date · wound · rush · cold · stick · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cold — not warm
  12. date — the fruit
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. kid — child
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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