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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — not warm
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. last — final
  9. scale — in music
  10. last — to go on
  11. cold — an illness
  12. last — finally
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. can — a tin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wake — a trail

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