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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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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: kid · lie · bat · safe · bear · fall · track · staff

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bear — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. track — to keep track
  8. staff — employees
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. track — a path
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fall — the season
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. track — a song
  20. fall — to drop
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — for baseball

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