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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: foot · kid · mouse · scale · wound · safe · degree · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. scale — size or range
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wound — an injury
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. scale — in music
  20. kid — child
  21. can — a tin
  22. foot — a measure
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. can — to be able to

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