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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — an illness
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. last — final
  9. foot — a measure
  10. dip — to sink
  11. vault — a safe
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. last — finally
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. last — to go on

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