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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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Word bank
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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: club · hand · degree · lean · bowl · safe · season · chest

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to bend
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. degree — from a university
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. club — a group
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. lean — thin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. club — for golf
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. chest — a box
  24. degree — an amount

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