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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: bat · kid · saw · object · drill · key · mate · safe

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. saw — the tool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kid — child
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. drill — army training
  11. key — in music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. key — for a lock
  14. saw — the tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. object — an aim
  17. drill — a practice
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — to tease
  20. object — a thing
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. object — to protest
  24. drill — the tool

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