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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: dip · fine · chest · cold · mate · rest · safe · kid

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. mate — a friend
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — a box
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rest — a break
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fine — all right
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cold — not warm
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cold — an illness
  24. safe — out of danger

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