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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: mug · fall · wake · safe · kid · bay · rock · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. season — in sport
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mug — a face
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mug — to rob
  14. fall — the season
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. season — of the year
  18. fall — to drop
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mug — a cup

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