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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 · safe · mate · key · content · straw · fine · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mate — a friend
  7. content — happy
  8. mate — to breed
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. content — the amount
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. key — in music
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. key — the most important part
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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