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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: club · cold · bowl · key · mine · staff · last · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cold — an illness
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. last — final
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. mine — for digging
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. club — a group
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cold — not warm
  17. club — for dancing
  18. last — finally
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. club — for golf
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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