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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cold — not warm
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. key — the most important part
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. present — the time now
  9. degree — an amount
  10. squash — to crush
  11. present — there
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — a gift
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. key — in music
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. key — for a lock

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