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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: deal · safe · chest · wound · wake · squash · fall · key

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fall — the season
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chest — a box
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chest — of your body
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — for a lock
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. safe — a strongbox

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