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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: face · safe · tube · rush · cabinet · cell · fork · game

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cell — a phone
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. game — wild animals
  12. face — to confront
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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