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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: toast · saw · safe · chest · wound · temple · fall · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fall — the season
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chest — of your body
  12. toast — bread
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — to drop
  19. saw — the tool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. chest — a box
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. safe — a strongbox

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