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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 120 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: hand · safe · lie · wound · last · mug · chest · degree

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mug — a face
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lie — to recline
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — finally
  11. wound — an injury
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mug — a cup
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — temperature
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mug — to rob
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lie — an untruth

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