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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: ball · temple · cue · mate · arm · mine · stem · safe

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mate — a partner
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mate — a friend
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mine — for digging
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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