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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: safe · mate · stand · kid · deal · toast · sharp · wound

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mate — a partner
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. toast — bread
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. deal — to handle

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