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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: temple · cell · safe · board · wind · can · kid · straw

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. can — to be able to
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kid — to tease
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. kid — child
  23. can — a tin
  24. wind — moving air

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