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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: object · mate · kick · coach · safe · cold · content · bear

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. content — happy
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bear — the animal
  10. object — an aim
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cold — not warm
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kick — in football
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. cold — the Cold War

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