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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: safe · foot · root · swing · mine · key · last · straw

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mine — for digging
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. key — for a lock
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. last — to go on
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. root — the cause
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. last — final
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. root — of a word
  17. foot — a measure
  18. key — the most important part
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. last — finally
  23. root — of a plant
  24. swing — to play on

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