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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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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: mate · rest · cell · fork · safe · wave · mark · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cell — a phone
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fork — to eat with

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