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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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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: kid · bear · game · stick · foot · season · mine · safe

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kid — child
  4. season — in sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — of the year
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mine — for digging
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kid — to tease
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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