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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: kick · game · wound · fall · mark · jam · band · safe

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fall — the season
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fall — to drop
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. band — a ring
  22. mark — a grade
  23. kick — in football
  24. band — a music group

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