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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — high quality
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — shares
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rash — a series
  16. cold — not warm
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. plane — a tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — an illness
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. rash — hasty

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